Question
What are the symptoms of hand, foot, and mouth disease?
Answer
The common symptoms of hand, foot, and mouth disease are as follows: Most children develop the illness suddenly. Initially, they have a low-grade fever, with body temperature below 38 degrees, accompanied by symptoms such as headache, cough, and runny nose. The body temperature remains unchanged. The higher the fever, the longer the course of the disease and the more severe the condition. Children with fever may see sores on their oral mucosa and lips within 1-2 days of the onset or after the fever, which can lead to ulceration and cracking, causing pain. Children often exhibit discomfort such as hitting themselves, crying, drooling, and not eating. One to two days after the oral sores appear, children may develop yellow spots and papules on their hands, feet, and buttocks, with most located on the feet. The sores are round or oval, flat, ranging in size from grains of rice to peas, hard with a red halo around them and purulent fluid in the rash.